VERSES ABOUT FORGIVENESS

Forgiving others brings such freedom. It's like taking off a heavy backpack you've been carrying for way too long. There's a real beauty to forgiveness, and anyone who's experienced both giving and receiving it knows what I mean. God is our ultimate example, right? He shows us how it's done and calls us to practice it every single day.

So, I encourage you to forgive, just as Christ forgives you – every single day. It's time to let go and be free. Let's be real, in this life, someone is bound to hurt or offend you. But even then, we're called to learn to forgive and love again. Get that bitterness out of your system. Trust me, it'll help you grow and move forward. It'll even strengthen your relationship with God.

As children of God, we rejoice because we've received forgiveness for our sins through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. But it's important to remember that just as we've been forgiven, our hearts need to be ready to forgive others. Mark 11:25¹ says, "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." As long as we repent and are faithful in forgiving others, God will completely forgive us. And that's when we can truly have a fresh start!

But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you.

This is what I say to all who will listen to me: Love your enemies, and be good to everyone who hates you.Ask God to bless anyone who curses you, and pray for everyone who is cruel to you.

The Scriptures also say, “If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat. And if they are thirsty, give them something to drink. This will be the same as piling burning coals on their heads.”

If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you.But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ.

Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you.

Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people! They don't know what they're doing.” While the crowd stood there watching Jesus, the soldiers gambled for his clothes. The leaders insulted him by saying, “He saved others. Now he should save himself, if he really is God's chosen Messiah!”

Peter came up to the Lord and asked, “How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?” Jesus answered: Not just 7 times, but 77 times!

Don't mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others,and do your best to live at peace with everyone.

Don't be hateful and insult people just because they are hateful and insult you. Instead, treat everyone with kindness. You are God's chosen ones, and he will bless you. The Scriptures say,

Don't be happy to see your enemies trip and fall down.

If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat. And if they are thirsty, give them something to drink.This will be the same as piling burning coals on their heads. And the Lord will reward you.

Have pity on others, just as your Father has pity on you.

God blesses those people who make peace. They will be called his children!

But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

But if we say we love God and don't love each other, we are liars. We cannot see God. So how can we love God, if we don't love the people we can see?The commandment that God has given us is: “Love God and love each other!”

But love your enemies and be good to them. Lend without expecting to be paid back. Then you will get a great reward, and you will be the true children of God in heaven. He is good even to people who are unthankful and cruel.

But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you.If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.

Love is patient and kind, never jealous, boastful, proud, orrude. Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do.Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.

Do as God does. After all, you are his dear children.as you try to please the Lord.Don't take part in doing those worthless things that are done in the dark. Instead, show how wrong they are.It is disgusting even to talk about what is done in the dark.But the light will show what these things are really like.Light shows up everything, just as the Scriptures say, “Wake up from your sleep and rise from death. Then Christ will shine on you.”Act like people with good sense and not like fools.These are evil times, so make every minute count.Don't be stupid. Instead, find out what the Lord wants you to do.Don't destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit fill your life.When you meet together, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, as you praise the Lord with all your heart.Let love be your guide. Christ loved us and offered his life for us as a sacrifice that pleases God.

Dear friends, don't try to get even. Let God take revenge. In the Scriptures the Lord says, “I am the one to take revenge and pay them back.”

How far has the Lord taken our sins from us? Farther than the distance from east to west!

Most important of all, you must sincerely love each other, because love wipes away many sins.

Hatred stirs up trouble; love overlooks the wrongs that others do.

Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don't yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude.Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ.

You know you have been taught, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”But I tell you not to try to get even with a person who has done something to you. When someone slaps your right cheek, turn and let that person slap your other cheek.

But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.

Forgive us for doing wrong, as we forgive others.

If you have sinned, you should tell each other what you have done. Then you can pray for one another and be healed. The prayer of an innocent person is powerful, and it can help a lot.

Try to live at peace with everyone! Live a clean life. If you don't, you will never see the Lord.Make sure no one misses out on God's wonderful kindness. Don't let anyone become bitter and cause trouble for the rest of you.

You will keep your friends if you forgive them, but you will lose your friends if you keep talking about what they did wrong.

So be careful what you do. Correct any followers of mine who sin, and forgive the ones who say they are sorry.The same will happen on the day when the Son of Man appears.At that time no one on a rooftop should go down into the house to get anything. No one in a field should go back to the house for anything.Remember what happened to Lot's wife. People who try to save their lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives will save them.On that night two people will be sleeping in the same bed, but only one will be taken. The other will be left.Two women will be together grinding wheat, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. Then Jesus' disciples spoke up, “But where will this happen, Lord?” Jesus said, “Where there is a corpse, there will always be vultures.”Even if one of them mistreats you seven times in one day and says, “I am sorry,” you should still forgive that person.

Honor God by accepting each other, as Christ has accepted you.

Whenever you stand up to pray, you must forgive what others have done to you. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your sins.

God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient.Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you.

God blesses those people who are merciful. They will be treated with mercy!

It's wise to be patient and show what you are like by forgiving others.

Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself.

Don't condemn others, and God won't condemn you.Would you give your child a snake if the child asked for a fish?As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask.Treat others as you want them to treat you. This is what the Law and the Prophets are all about. Go in through the narrow gate. The gate to destruction is wide, and the road that leads there is easy to follow. A lot of people go through that gate.But the gate to life is very narrow. The road that leads there is so hard to follow that only a few people find it.Watch out for false prophets! They dress up like sheep, but inside they are wolves who have come to attack you.You can tell what they are by what they do. No one picks grapes or figs from thornbushes.A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit.Every tree producing bad fruit will be chopped down and burned.God will be as hard on you as you are on others! He will treat you exactly as you treat them.

You willingly forgive, and your love is always there for those who pray to you.

Don't be hateful to people, just because they are hateful to you. Rather, be good to each other and to everyone else.

We know what love is because Jesus gave his life for us. This is why we must give our lives for each other.

No one who loves others will harm them. So love is all that the Law demands.

Treat others just as you want to be treated.

When we please the Lord, even our enemies make friends with us.

If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won't be punished.

Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you.

Don't you think you should show pity to someone else, as I did to you?”

A kind answer soothes angry feelings, but harsh words stir them up.

Don't be angry or furious. Anger can lead to sin.

Although he was abused, he never tried to get even. And when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he had faith in God, who judges fairly.

We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world.

Do good instead of evil and try to live at peace.

God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace.

But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much he made us alive with Christ, and God's gift of undeserved grace is what saves you.

Then I will forget about their sins and no longer remember their evil deeds.”

That is how my Father in heaven will treat you, if you don't forgive each of my followers with all your heart.

and God's servants must not be troublemakers. They must be kind to everyone, and they must be good teachers and very patient.Be humble when you correct people who oppose you. Maybe God will lead them to turn to him and learn the truth.

Jesus said: Don't judge others, and God won't judge you. Don't be hard on others, and God won't be hard on you. Forgive others, and God will forgive you.

Even when we were God's enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by the life of his Son.

They kept on asking Jesus about the woman. Finally, he stood up and said, “If any of you have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her!”

Give up your evil ways and do right, as you find and follow the road to peace.

Losing your temper is foolish; ignoring an insult is smart.

Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other.

Don't be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves.

We work hard with our own hands, and when people abuse us, we wish them well. When we suffer, we are patient.

You are merciful, Lord! You are kind and patient and always loving.

The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.”

Why do you criticize other followers of the Lord? Why do you look down on them? The day is coming when God will judge all of us.

I will treat them with kindness, even though they are wicked. I will forget their sins.”

My friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out, and don't be tempted yourself.

Go and learn what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others.’ I didn't come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners.”

Kindness is rewarded— but if you are cruel, you hurt yourself.

Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head

But now you must stop doing such things. You must quit being angry, hateful, and evil. You must no longer say insulting or cruel things about others.

Good people do good things because of the good in their hearts, but bad people do bad things because of the evil in their hearts. Your words show what is in your heart.

God blesses those people who are humble. The earth will belong to them!

If you try to be kind and good, you will be blessed with life and goodness and honor.

The Lord isn't slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.

We should try to live at peace and help each other have a strong faith.

My dear friends, you should be quick to listen and slow to speak or to get angry.My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble.If you are angry, you cannot do any of the good things God wants done.

The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them.

Christ sacrificed his life's blood to set us free, which means our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because of God's gift of undeserved grace to us. God has great wisdom and understanding,

After all, God chose you to suffer as you follow in the footsteps of Christ, who set an example by suffering for you.Christ did not sin or ever tell a lie.Although he was abused, he never tried to get even. And when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he had faith in God, who judges fairly.

Some of you accuse others of doing wrong. But there is no excuse for what you do. When you judge others, you condemn yourselves, because you are guilty of doing the very same things.

I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. So be as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves.

May the Lord make your love for each other and for everyone else grow by leaps and bounds. This is how our love for you has grown.And when our Lord comes with all his people, I pray he will make your hearts pure and innocent in the sight of God the Father.

First of all, I ask you to pray for everyone. Ask God to help and bless them all, and tell God how thankful you are for each of them.Women who claim to love God should do helpful things for others,and they should learn by being quiet and paying attention.They should be silent and not be allowed to teach or to tell men what to do.After all, Adam was created before Eve,and the man Adam wasn't the one who was fooled. It was the woman Eve who was completely fooled and sinned.But women will be saved by having children, if they stay faithful, loving, holy, and modest.Pray for kings and others in power, so we may live quiet and peaceful lives as we worship and honor God.

“Do you really love life? Do you want to be happy? Then stop saying cruel things and quit telling lies.Give up your evil ways and do right, as you find and follow the road to peace.

I will forgive anyone you forgive. Yes, for your sake and with Christ as my witness, I have forgiven whatever needed to be forgiven.I have done this to keep Satan from getting the better of us. We all know what goes on in his mind.

Jesus said, “In the same way there is more happiness in heaven because of one sinner who turns to God than over 99 good people who don't need to.”

The king will answer, “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.”

If our faith is strong, we should be patient with the Lord's followers whose faith is weak. We should try to please them instead of ourselves.The Scriptures also say to the Gentiles, “Come and celebrate with God's people.” Again the Scriptures say, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. All you nations, come and worship him.”Isaiah says, “Someone from David's family will come to power. He will rule the nations, and they will put their hope in him.”I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.My friends, I am sure that you are very good and that you have all the knowledge you need to teach each other.But I have spoken to you plainly and have tried to remind you of some things. God treated me with undeserved grace!He chose me to be a servant of Christ Jesus for the Gentiles and to do the work of a priest in the service of his good news. God did this so that the Holy Spirit could make the Gentiles into a holy offering, pleasing to him.Because of Christ Jesus, I can take pride in my service for God.In fact, all I will talk about is how Christ let me speak and work, so that the Gentiles would obey him.Indeed, I will tell how Christ worked miracles and wonders by the power of the Holy Spirit. I have preached the good news about him all the way from Jerusalem to Illyricum.We should think of their good and try to help them by doing what pleases them.

Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.

Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good.

The man replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.’ ”

Show love in everything you do.

And if your Lord and teacher has washed your feet, you should do the same for each other.I have set the example, and you should do for each other exactly what I have done for you.

Make your light shine, so others will see the good you do and will praise your Father in heaven.

All of you young people should obey your elders. In fact, everyone should be humble toward everyone else. The Scriptures say, “God opposes proud people, but he helps everyone who is humble.”Be humble in the presence of God's mighty power, and he will honor you when the time comes.

Keep being concerned about each other as the Lord's followers should.But we have an altar where even the priests who serve in the place of worship have no right to eat.After the high priest offers the blood of animals as a sin offering, the bodies of those animals are burned outside the camp.Jesus himself suffered outside the city gate, so his blood would make people holy.This is why we should go outside the camp to Jesus and share in his disgrace.On this earth we don't have a city that lasts forever, but we are waiting for such a city.Our sacrifice is to keep offering praise to God in the name of Jesus.But don't forget to help others and to share your possessions with them. This too is like offering a sacrifice that pleases God.Obey your leaders and do what they say. They are watching over you, and they must answer to God. So don't make them sad as they do their work. Make them happy. Otherwise, they won't be able to help you at all.Pray for us. Our consciences are clear, and we always try to live right.I especially want you to pray that I can visit you again soon.Be sure to welcome strangers into your home. By doing this, some people have welcomed angels as guests, without even knowing it.

All the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself.

My dear friends, we must love each other. Love comes from God, and when we love each other, it shows we have been given new life. We are now God's children, and we know him.

Goodbye, my friends. Do better and pay attention to what I have said. Try to get along and live peacefully with each other. Now I pray that God, who gives love and peace, will be with you.

Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death?It is exactly as the Scriptures say, “For you we face death all day long. We are like sheep on their way to be butchered.”In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us.

Don't try to get even. Trust the Lord, and he will help you.

My children, I am writing this so you won't sin. But if you do sin, Jesus Christ always does the right thing, and he will speak to the Father for us.

God blesses those people who want to obey him more than to eat or drink. They will be given what they want!

You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own.Don't you know that God's people will judge the world? And if you are going to judge the world, can't you settle small problems?God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.

Do all you can for everyone who deserves your help.

My friends, I don't feel I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead.I run toward the goal, so I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done.

We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose,

I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me.

Do this, because on the day of judgment there will be no pity for those who have not had pity on others. But even in judgment, God is merciful!

“Father, if you will, please don't make me suffer by drinking from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want.”

Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us.Our human fathers correct us for a short time, and they do it as they think best. But God corrects us for our own good, because he wants us to be holy, as he is.It is never fun to be corrected. In fact, at the time it is always painful. But if we learn to obey by being corrected, we will do right and live at peace.Now stand up straight! Stop your knees from shakingand walk a straight path. Then lame people will be healed, instead of getting worse. Try to live at peace with everyone! Live a clean life. If you don't, you will never see the Lord.Make sure no one misses out on God's wonderful kindness. Don't let anyone become bitter and cause trouble for the rest of you.Watch out for immoral and ungodly people like Esau, who sold his future blessing for only one meal.You know how he later wanted it back. But there was nothing he could do to change things, even though he begged his father and cried. You have not come to a place like Mount Sinai that can be seen and touched. There is no flaming fire or dark cloud or stormor trumpet sound. The people of Israel heard a voice speak. But they begged it to stop,We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God's throne!

Don't fool yourselves. Bad friends will destroy you.

What should we say? Should we keep on sinning, so that God's gift of undeserved grace will show up even better?When Christ died, he died for sin once and for all. But now he is alive, and he lives only for God.In the same way, you must think of yourselves as dead to the power of sin. But Christ Jesus has given life to you, and you live for God.Don't let sin rule your body. After all, your body is bound to die, so don't obey its desiresor let any part of it become a slave of evil. Give yourselves to God, as people who have been raised from death to life. Make every part of your body a slave that pleases God.Don't let sin keep ruling your lives. You are ruled by God's undeserved grace and not by the Law.What does all this mean? Does it mean we are free to sin, because we are ruled by God's gift of undeserved grace and not by the Law? Certainly not!Don't you know that you are slaves of anyone you obey? You can be slaves of sin and die, or you can be obedient slaves of God and be acceptable to him.You used to be slaves of sin. But I thank God that with all your heart you followed the example set forth in the teaching you received.Now you are set free from sin and are slaves who please God.I am using these everyday examples, because in some ways you are still weak. You used to let the different parts of your body be slaves of your evil thoughts. But now you must make every part of your body serve God, so that you will belong completely to him.No, we should not! If we are dead to sin, how can we go on sinning?

God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won't stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.

God is wonderful and glorious. I pray that his Spirit will make you become strong followersand that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. Stand firm and be deeply rooted in his love.

But you must always act like your Father in heaven.

Then Jesus asked, “Which one of these three people was a real neighbor to the man who was beaten up by robbers?”The expert in the Law of Moses answered, “The one who showed pity.” Jesus said, “Go and do the same!”

Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so Christ could make us acceptable to God.

You are the salt for everyone on earth. But if salt no longer tastes like salt, how can it make food salty? All it is good for is to be thrown out and walked on. You are the light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden,

Because of all that the Son is, we have been given one blessing after another.

I have fought well. I have finished the race, and I have been faithful.So a crown will be given to me for pleasing the Lord. He judges fairly, and on the day of judgment he will give a crown to me and to everyone else who wants him to appear with power.

We are certain God will hear our prayers when we ask for what pleases him.And if we know God listens when we pray, we are sure our prayers have already been answered.

You, Lord, are my shepherd. I will never be in need.You let me rest in fields of green grass. You lead me to streams of peaceful water,and you refresh my life. You are true to your name, and you lead me along the right paths.

You obeyed the truth, and your souls were made pure. Now you sincerely love each other. But you must keep on loving with all your heart.

Try your best to let God's Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace.

But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.

God is working in you to make you willing and able to obey him.

Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life. Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope.

Some people soon brought to him a man lying on a mat because he could not walk. When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the man, “My friend, don't worry! Your sins are forgiven.”

God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth.

Then you will live a life that honors the Lord, and you will always please him by doing good deeds. You will come to know God even better.

God blesses those people who depend only on him. They belong to the kingdom of heaven!

No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ.

We are sure God's children do not keep on sinning. God's own Son protects them, and the devil cannot harm them.

You used to be like people living in the dark, but now you are people of the light because you belong to the Lord. So act like people of the lightand make your light shine. Be good and honest and truthful,

But that's not all! We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure.And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope

If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won't correct you for asking.

I pray that God will take care of all your needs with the wonderful blessings that come from Christ Jesus!

I give you peace, the kind of peace only I can give. It isn't like the peace this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid.

The Lord is there to rescue all who are discouraged and have given up hope.

The Lord gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm.

With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment.Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.

All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.

My dear friends, as a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, I beg you to get along with each other. Don't take sides. Always try to agree in what you think.

Prayer